Rationale: I discovered Carolina Liar through the television series ‘90210’. You know, the reboot of yesteryears ‘Beverly Hills: 90210’? I would describe Carolina Liar’s style as follows: Two cups of Keane, mixed with a Cup of One Republic, a half a cup of The Fray, a teaspoon of Coldplay, with just a pinch of Muse (mixed thoroughly). Best when served fresh from the oven of teenage angst, misunderstanding and emotion. If you enjoy listening to any of the aforementioned artists then you will enjoy Carolina Liar.

I chose the song Show Me What I’m Looking For, because I believe that everyone will, at some point, ask for guidance. Throughout our lives we are given many choices. Each choice leads to eventual answers. Those answers result in a multitude of possibilities. The various possibilities are what allow us to learn through living. The question is, which lessons do we want to make a part of our lives? The answer? Well, each journey is unique and most often comprised entirely of our own creation. Simply put, the ‘choice is yours’. However, I have learnt that the choices we fear most, the ones which possibly harbour the most eventful outcomes, are often the ones which offer the greatest level of experience, fulfilment and understanding. Subsequently, the only piece of advice I can give is this: do not be afraid to take a risk every now and again. Even if you fail, you will gained experience, experience which may continue to shape your future… for the better!

Carolina Liar – Show Me What I’m Looking For

As always, whenever I post about Vivaciously Varietal Vibes on Music Monday’s, simply click on the name of the song to be taken to a web page that displays the songs lyrics.

In essence The Red Carpet is a group for individuals who enjoy, like yours truly, the cinema going experience – large screens (See More), deafening sound (Hear More) and riveting stories (Feel More). At present, the group is scheduled to meet once or twice a month to ‘screen’ a newly released mainstream or art house film. After each screening, members will have the opportunity to get together after the movie and socialise – most likely over dinner or at a coffee shop. Furthermore, members of The Red Carpet will be notified of any South African premiere’s which may take place and which they may, subsequently, be a part of.

For the opening of The Red Carpet, we will be screening the new Warner Brothers movie Watchmen, on the day of release (06/03/09), at the Imax cinema in the Menlyn Park shopping centre. I first saw the trailer for Watchmen this past Sunday when my family and myself went to see He’s Just Not That Into You. Upon first viewing the trailer, I was awestruck by the unique art style and use of clever cinematography. However, what really hooked me into wanting to see this film was the use of the song ‘Take A Bow’ by Muse, which I immediately recognised as it began midway through the trailer (it actually gave me goose bumps). For those who do not know, I have recently become a huge fan of Muse, having been introduced to their music through their influence on Stephenie Meyer and her enigmatic Twilight Saga. I have even gone so far as to purchase all of their available albums and have subsequently labelled their music as hauntingly beautiful.

For your perusal I have included the Watchmen trailer below. If you would like to see a video of Muse performing ‘Take a Bow’ live, please click here. Make sure to tune in again soon for The Red Carpet’s review of Watchmen!

Despite what my family and myself have gone through over the last several weeks, I have been able to deeply immerse myself into the beautiful and fictional love story of Isabella Swan and Edward Cullen. In a way their world acted as a reprieve from my own.

By now you may have already heard of or have seen the movie ‘Twilight’. What you may not know, however, is that the movie is based on the first novel of the Twilight Saga by Stephenie Meyer.

This was one saga that I could honestly not put down. From the very first page of Twilight to the last of Breaking Dawn, not a single moment has passed in which I have not thought about this ethereal story. Even now, with a hint of a faint smirk at the corner of my lips, I fondly reminisce about the characters, their lives and how the ‘Lion fell in love with the Lamb’.

If you have yet to read the books or watch the first movie, here is the blurb for Book One of the Twilight Saga – Twilight:

When 17 year old Isabella Swan moves to Forks, Washington to live with her father she expects that her new life will be as dull as the town. But in spite of her awkward manner and low expectations, she finds that her new classmates are drawn to this pale, dark-haired new girl in town. But not, it seems, the Cullen family. These five adopted brothers and sisters obviously prefer their own company and will make no exception for Bella. Bella is convinced that Edward Cullen in particular hates her, but she feels a strange attraction to him, although his hostility makes her feel almost physically ill. He seems determined to push her away until, that is, he saves her life from an out of control car. Bella will soon discover that there is a very good reason for Edward’s coldness. He, and his family, are vampires and he knows how dangerous it is for others to get too close.

For some time I have been toying with the idea of listening to books instead of reading them. Thus, out of pure curiosity, I downloaded the audio books for the Twilight Saga. As fantastic as the audio books are, and they are good, I found that I personally prefer to read the books rather than to have them read to me. However, I did discover that the easiest way to get someone to read a book that I have enjoyed is to let them listen to the audio books. Since I have been utterly consumed by the Twilight Saga, it was only natural for me to try and persuade others to give it a chance. With the use of the audio books, and my persistent insistence, I have successfully lulled more than five people into the fantastical world of Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight Saga.

Interestingly, not only did Stephenie Meyer create a heroine like timeless love story but she also managed to introduce me to the band known as Muse – whose music I have dubbed as hauntingly beautiful, just like Bella and Edwards eternal love story. Apparently the group known as Muse partially acted as her writing ‘muse’. Now, whenever I listen to their music, I can picture and relive scenes from the Twilight Saga. I am amazed at the symbiotic relationship between the Twilight Saga’s story and music from Muse – as if they were cut from the same cloth.

Strangely enough, before reading the Twilight Saga I read The Host, another novel by Stephenie Meyer, which is essentially a new take on the concept of ‘the body snatchers’. As a matter of fact, it was The Host which convinced me to purchase the Twilight Saga (mind you, the movie also helped in that regard). The Host, in itself, is an excellent read. It is actually one of the only books to actually allow me to feel true emotion for the characters. Stephenie Meyer is by no means a ‘one hit wonder/one genre rut-er’ (*cough* Christopher Paolini *cough*).

If you are looking for a new work of fiction to enjoy, I sincerely hope you immerse yourself into the Twilight Saga!

(P.S.: My Zune card is now a part of Hans’ Milieu, just below my Xbox 360 Gamer tag)

About me

Hi, I'm Hans. A Ludologist by education; writer, marketer and ecommerce curator by trade; foodie by nature; and a tech, gadget and gamer geek in my spare time. This blog is where I share my personal thoughts on almost everything and anything.